Pastel Skates in Greece - Uncut Videos
by cyanoscarlet
Summary: Select footage from Sara Crispino's vlog episode on their mountain-climbing trip in Greece. (Written for Terra Incognita 2.0 Zine)


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" _Yasas_ , everybody! That's Greek for 'hello', by the way. Sara Crispino here, and welcome to a special travel episode of _The Pastel Skates Vlog_! It's been two weeks since the end of Worlds, and again, I couldn't thank everyone enough for all your support. This trip was long in the works now, to be honest, made possible by our good friend, Emil - say hi to the camera!"

"Hello there!"

"- who suggested a mountain climbing excursion for us in the absolutely beautiful Meteora. I have some postcards right here… Aren't these cliffs breathtaking? They say it took millions of years for the rock pillars to become what they are today. The houses you see here are actually monasteries, and we hope we can get to visit some of them on our way up. I'd love to talk about it more, but that defeats the purpose of this vlog, so...

"Anyway, we've just touched down in Athens, and from what it says on this guide here, it takes around five hours to get there by train. There's gonna be some pit-stops, though, and we'll be passing by lots of terrific scenery along the way, so definitely get your eyes and your cameras ready. I actually have my power bank and my extra memory cards with me, too. It's right here, in this lovely waterproof pouch from _Case In Point._

"Oh, there's Mickey and Mila! Wait wait... Hiiiii! We're heeeere!"

"Sara, where _were_ you?! I told you to wait by the arrival gate!"

"Ah, I was just taking videos, Mickey! Here, say hi!"

"What do you- Oh. Um, yeah... Hi."

"Hahaha, shy as always, isn't he? Oh hi, Mila B. here!"

"Okay guys, wave to the camera!... So here's my good friend Emil Nekola… my brother Michele… and my one and only bestie, Mila Babicheva. The four of us will be together for the next few days, so expect random skating jokes and shenanigans all over the place… Oops, next train comes in a minute. Gotta go!"

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"Woooo! Train ride, train ride!"

"I just _love_ that skyline?! Here, Emil, look at this shot."

"Ohhh! Looks great, Mila!"

"Guys, I'm filming again! Here, say hi!... All right, everyone! How's it going? We're on the way to Meteora now, and here, posing before a fabulous sunset is our gorgeous redhead in red, Mila. Hi, yes… could you do that again, dear?... There, perfect!"

"You've totally been taken in by Chulanont, Sara. We're skaters, not models."

"Aw, don't ruin the fun, Mickey! Your sister's photography skills are superb!"

"Oh, don't mind him, Mila. He's always been like that. Mickey, can you tell us more about those mountains?"

"What you can see from here is some of the Pindos Mountain Range, considered the backbone of mainland Greece. It's roughly made up of the same terrain as the European Alps. That highest point over there is Mount Smolikas… Wait, I'll look it up."

"Oh, don't do that anymore! It's okay!"

"Ugh, whatever. Just edit that part out."

"That's amazing, Mickey! Did you have to study this for college?"

"Where did you... Well, yes, actually."

"Some context, guys: Mickey here has a degree in Architecture History, and Advanced Geography was one of their classes before. Hey, Emil, aren't you taking a similar class right now?"

"Nope, dropped it. A slot in Sports Physio opened up last month so I enrolled there instead."

"Ohh. Anyway, everyone, that just now was a train announcement. We're arriving at Kalambaka station in around fifteen minutes, so we gotta pack our stuff now… Oh, dear, that's a lot… Hey! Mila, that's my spinach pie!"

"Oh my gosh, sorry, dear! Here, have mine."

"That's okay, just pack all the food in that cannister… Gotta turn this off now. See you later!"

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"Everyone, we are in the presence of one of the most intricate mountain formations known to humanity. Behold, the cliffs of Meteora!"

"What's with that narration, you hyena?!"

"Stop it, guys! You're wasting the battery!"

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"Good early morning, you all! Uh, here's to hoping you hear me, since I strapped my GoPro onto my forehead for this hike… I won't do it again, promise.

"I'll try not to move my head too much for these shots, but goodness, these cliffs really are amazing up close! I'll include some still shots from my DSLR at the end of this video, so make sure to keep watching until the end… Anyway, the gang is stretching over here… Here's Mila… Mickey… Emil… And my voice! Hahaha... "

"Hey, Sara! Try doing that backflip you've been practicing at Worlds."

"Noooo! I have a GoPro on my forehead!"

"Aw, man. Anyway guys, any other concerns before we start our climb?"

"You're the only one not scared of this, hyena."

"I'm not, either. Us Babichevas are brave, you know…. Hey, are you okay, Michele? I-I'm sorry."

"I-It's nothing… I just… _Ulp!_ "

"Oh my god, Mickey!... Here, sit down first. Emil, here's my GoPro… Please turn it off, thanks!"

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"Er… that didn't go so well. Anyway guys, I'm shooting with my phone right now, because I almost broke the GoPro during our climb earlier. Right now, we're near the Agia Triada Monastery… It's that group of buildings with large, brick roofs, all over there… Hey, whose hand is that?"

"Oops, that's mine. You remember how we pretended to hold up the Leaning Tower of Pisa in our pics last year? I'm gonna try to hold the monastery up like this… Here, Sara, look!"

"Ohhhh, I see what you're getting at. Wait, lemme take a shot of this first. Emil, please hold my phone first? I'll be back."

"Wait, Sara, do I stop the recording?... Oh, never mind. Hi, everyone! It's Emil Nekola, your friendly neighborhood mountain climber and figure skater. Here with me is Sara's twin brother, Mickey, who braved the entire climb just now despite having an upset stomach... You okay, buddy?"

"... Yeah, sure, thanks… Also… Not Mickey..."

"Oh, lighten up! Anyway, we're here on top of one of the most difficult-to-climb cliffs in the whole Meteora formation, just beneath the Holy Trinity Monastery, like Sara said. Let's just get a nice, panoramic view first… That's the Rousanou Monastery over there - on top of a really crazy-tall pillar, actually… There's the Great Valley, and the Pineos River running through it… And here's another amazing rock formation on the right. Part of the Alps, Mickey said.

"Whew, that's a lot! Back to these two ladies, they're taking lovely photos right now over there. I have no idea what they're doing, but they look really relaxed. You wouldn't think they're rivals on ice if you didn't know any better. Don't you think so, Mickey?"

"Quit it. We're all friends off-ice, aren't we? Otherwise we wouldn't have agreed to this trip."

"Hmm, you're right. We should come back here sometime, shouldn't we?"

"I won't climb another mountain, dammit. Not even with skates, no."

"We can go to the beach, then! Santorini's also great this time of the year."

"... That's fine, I guess… Wait. Sara's not wearing a bikini. I won't allow it!"

"Mickey, jeez! No one's telling her to wear one! Here, have another bottle of water."

"What's this about me wearing a bikini?... Emil! Why is this still recording, OMG! I'm so sorry, thanks so much for holding the phone for me! I'll just edit this out, ahhhh!"

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"Take Two, on top of the cliff! Say hi, everyone!"

"Yo, everyone! Look, Mickey, it's the camera!"

"Hello! We've conquered Meteora!"

"That was just one mountain, Babicheva."

"Come on, Mickey! It was our first mountain! Anyway, this was one hell of an adventure! You got sick over last night's spinach pies, Sara's GoPro almost fell off the cliff, Emil's hiking shoes are dead, and I have bruises all over my arms."

"Memorable?"

"Absolutely, _solnyshko_. I wouldn't mind coming back here another time. Next year?"

"Definitely. Let's do a recap of this when we get back down tonight. I got a lot of footage to edit after this. Thanks for participating in my vlog, everyone! Just one last message before I turn this off...

" _Yasas_! It's Sara Crispino of _The Pastel Skates Vlog_ , and we've. Conquered. Meteora! As you all now know, we've gone through a lot of stuff while on the climb. Hope you enjoyed the narration, photos and videos! A bonus video is also going up for those I couldn't include in the main episode, so please look out for that. From Mickey, Emil, Mila and myself, thanks so much for watching, everyone! Don't forget to like, comment and subscribe. Hope you all have a great day, wherever you are. Love you all! _Ciao!_ "


End file.
